Govt wrong on asylum seeker allegations

Reporter: Fran Kelly

JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER (October 9, 2001): The behaviour of a number of these people, particularly those involving throwing their children overboard, I mean, I can't imagine how a genuine refugee would ever do that.

I certainly don't want people of that type in Australia.

I really don't.

DAVID SHACKLETON, CHIEF OF NAVY (November 8, 2001): In that instance, it doesn't appear that they were thrown in.

Certainly were threatened to be thrown in.

KIM BEAZLEY, OPPOSITION LEADER (November 9, 2001): You don't need to lie or mislead or confuse in order to defend our borders.

FRAN KELLY: It was the big story of the election campaign -- the Government claimed asylum seekers had thrown their children overboard to try and blackmail the Navy into picking them up and taking them to Australia.

When questions were asked, the Government released photographs and later a videotape to prove its case and, when that evidence was tainted, the Prime Minister still never backed off.

JOHN HOWARD (November 9, 2001): The Government's position remains that we were advised by defence that children were thrown overboard.

We made those allegations on the basis of that advice and, until I get defence advice to the contrary, I will maintain that position.

FRAN KELLY: Doubt over the truth of this story never hurt the Government's election chances.

In fact, every time asylum seekers were mentioned in any guise during the campaign, the Government's vote went up.

But a report out today will test John Howard's Teflon coating on this issue.

JOHN HOWARD: It is clear from the report, which I'll table during Question Time, that the original statements made by ministers regarding children being thrown overboard were based on reports and advice received and they were provided in good faith to ministers by the Defence Department department.

It's also clear, Mr Speaker, from the report that subsequently, doubts about the veracity of the original advice to ministers arose within the defence establishment.

FRAN KELLY: In other words, those original statements from ministers were wrong.

What is clear from this report, commissioned by a prime minister under pressure, is that children were never thrown overboard on October 7 as claimed and the defence establishment had verified that fact by October 11 and, yet, on November 9, four weeks after defence chiefs had declared, in writing, that children were not thrown overboard, it seems the Prime Minister hadn't heard the news.

JOHN HOWARD (November 9, 2001): From the beginning, we were given defence advice that children had been thrown overboard.

That was confirmed, in writing, by the office of national assessments and, last night, the head of the Navy said, in writing, that the minister was informed of the Defence Department -- the Navy's belief that children had been thrown overboard.

FRAN KELLY: All true, but, as it turns out, all wrong too.

The report documents a disgraceful case of Chinese whispers and it seems no-one in the Government was interested in finding out the truth.

Take the ONA report the Prime Minister flashed around as proof that his comments were based on official intelligence that children had been thrown overboard.

JOHN HOWARD (November 8, 2001): On October 9, I received an ONA report that read in part as follows: "Asylum seekers wearing life jackets jumped into the sea and children were thrown in with them."

FRAN KELLY: It turns out this key piece of evidence was based only on the statements he was trying to justify.

According to today's report, the office of national assessment relied on ministers' media statements which we now know were wrong from the start because they were based on hearsay and phone conversations between buddies and were rushed into the media with undue haste just four hours after the incident occurred.

The report also reveals that the Prime Minister's department was informed on October 10 that there was no indication that children were thrown overboard.

On that same day, defence PR advised Peter Reith's office that the photos of children in the water, released that afternoon, were being made out to be something they weren't.

PETER REITH, DEFENCE MINISTER (October 10, 2001): There were children if the water, we have a number of RAN people there who reported that children were thrown into the water.

You may want to question the veracity of reports from the Royal Australian Navy, but I don't.

FRAN KELLY: A second report today is more damning.

It says a senior defence minister told Mr Reith that the video does not show a child being thrown into the water and according to that officer, in an unverified account of that conversation, Peter Reith said, "We'd better not see the video then."

The officer later said, perhaps he hadn't made it clear to the minister there were no children in the water at all.

Today, the Prime Minister hammered the fact that this report clears him and Phillip Ruddock of any knowledge of the false claims.

JOHN HOWARD: The Government has commissioned these two inquiries.

They show very clearly that the original statements made by me, by the Minister for Immigration and by the minister for defence were based on advice given in good faith and that advice was used in good faith, Mr Speaker and nothing that the Leader of the Opposition can say can alter that situation Mr Speaker.

Now, I ask that further questions be placed on notice.

FRAN KELLY: The release of this report today, totally overshadowed any headway the Opposition hoped to make on allegations that the Government was spying on Australians during the 'Tampa' affair.

But a third front opened up unexpectedly.

Claims that asylum seekers had sewn their children's lips together at the Woomera Detention Centre in protest earlier this year.

Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock commissioned a report into the accusations after they were made by the Liberal State Government during the recent election.

Today, again under pressure, it was revealed there was no evidence to back up the lip-sewing claims.

SENATOR ANDREW BARTLETT, DEMOCRATS: Is it the case that that report concludes that there is no evidence at all that has been found to substantiate these allegations?

LIBERAL SENATOR: The minister was subsequently advised by the South Australian department that there was no evidence to either confirm or deny these concerns.

SENATOR ANDREW BARTLETT: Will the minister and the Government now apologise for making such false and defamatory allegations against the detainees in the light of the fact that no evidence exists to substantiate them?

LIBERAL SENATOR: I certainly would reject any allegation that the Minister for Immigration, Mr Ruddock, made any false or defamatory remarks or allegations.

FRAN KELLY: Just another exercise in stereotyping boat people according to the Opposition.

The Government's confident public opinion is so far its way on this issue of asylum seekers that it really can't do it much harm.